Newcastle United legend, Alan Shearer, has named the two leading candidates to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or on Monday.

Shearer, in his column, ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, said England captain Harry Kane and Spain winger Lamine Yamal are the two leading candidates for the Ballon d’Or.

“I know the two leading favorites are Yamal and Kane, but Mbappe and perhaps Rodri are also on the shortlist,” Shearer said.

“Kane deserves to win the Ballon d’Or,” he added.

Kane didn’t win the World Cup with England in the summer, while Yamal won it with Spain.

The Bayern Munich striker did win the Bundesliga title with his club, while Yamal also won the LaLiga title with Barcelona.

But Kane scored over 70 goals in all competitions for England and Bayern last season, winning the European Golden Boot ahead of Yamal.